Developing, fixing, and washing tank



June 2, 1931.

C. L. DREW DEVELOPING, FIXING, AND WASHING TANK Filed Dec. '7. 1927 IN VEN TOR.

as-Figurel is i to for'mofreel.

, ;1,uN1Ts-o sra'ras PAT NT oar-"lea cu!'rox, 1.. Draw, or rnaxcraeo, earn-omen v nzvnnorme, rrxnwe, um w aannre rm Application fled December 7, 1927. Bartel No. 888,312.

This invention relates to improvements in combined developingfi fixing and washing tanks for photograp ic. purposes.

The principal ob ect of this invention is to provide means whereby a strip of film may be effectively developed, fixed and washed 1 7 Other objects advantages will be tap-- parent during the course of the following ac scription.

= In the accompanying drawings .forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are; employed to designate hke parts throughout the same, v aside elevation of my complete tank,

Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure 1,- I

Figure 3is a bottom plan'view of the deso velopmg reel, v

' 1 re-4 is a horizontal cross section of the deve oping reel, "Figure 5 is a top plan view-of the develzpmg reel showing the manner of lac 5 as film thereon,

I!" re dis a top plan view in reduced-size show ng the position the reel takes within the tank,and

Figure 7 is a side elevation of my modified In the developingof photographic film articularly of motion picture type, it has n iorjthe amateur to have his film develope licant has film at home in as satisfacto a manner as is done in, acommercml estab ent.

e0 Inthe accompanying drawings wherein.

Another object is to-provide means wherebe later seen.

.Thesedconeentric. 1.29 an 31 respective y. It will also-be noted ,,fl0li1fthis figure that-the hub at a commercial place where 46 hr are employed.

' E; t erefore devised a tank where y the amateur may develop his own.

for the urpose of illustration is shown a preferre embodiment of my invention, the

numeral 5 designates a cup-like tank having a cover 6, which cover has a downturned edge p 7 and is further provided with an auxiliary ea 'downturned flange 8 which is secured to the top 6. This arrangement provides for a rubber gasket 9 which is adapted to vcontact the top of tank 5 when the cover is laced u n the tank. Secured to one side 0 the t is 60 an overflow tube 11 which has communication throggh an opening 12 with the interior of the ta In order to prevent light pass- -i through the tube 11, a light trap is provi ed at 13 which effectively traps any light 65 which m'a pass through the opening 12.

It is 0 none that this overflow tube 11 might be aluallfyl well placed in the cover 6 if esired. A nnel is shown at 14, which funnel is provided'with a downwardl ex tending tubular portion 16. This tu ular portion is soldered or otherwise secured. to the cover '6 and is provided with breather openings 17 therethrough, the purpose of which will be later seen. A concentric 18 surrounds the tubular extension .16 and 1s also secured to the cover 6.

Referrin now to Figures 3, 4 and 5 it will be noted t at I have provided a reel consisting ofa top portion 19 and a bottom portion 21 which are held in spaced relation as by 'a hub portion 22.- The hub portion carries a spring element 23, the purpose of which will The ad'acent surfaces of thetop bottom of t e reel are each provided with a spiral groove is shown at 24. By now referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the bottom portion is provided with an annular rimv26 and withconoentric rings 27 and 28. are split as-shown at v rtion 22 is tubular in construction and t at o 32 permit the flow. of liquid through e bottom member as willbe hereinafter described.

In the modified formshown in Figure 7-,- the construction is identical with the e'xception that the tube 33 which forms the hub is v secured tothe bottom member and some what elongated, which bottom member is similar in construction. toy the bottom member 21 and that the top member 36 which is similar to the top member 19 is provided with a boss 37 having a set screw 38. This permits the top member to be spaced from the bottom' member a predetermined distance and .then

secured in that adjustedpos'iti'on. I vhave provided slots 39 and 40, which slots serve to act as a gauge for adjusting the distance between the top member and the bottom member to accommodate films of thiswidth.

At 41 I have shown the ordinary spool commonly employed for-winding film therein "and it will be noted that by placing the-edge of the ends of the spool in the slots 39 and 40, the same act as a gauge for spacing the top and bottom members so that the reelfwill carried upon holder as shown at 42, which type of holder is employed in many camera using moving picture films. After the film has been removed from the holder, the end is passed between the thumb and first finger as shown in Fi re 5 and b sli htly compressing the filll l so: that it isfiiarr wer than the distance between the adjacent surfaces of the top and bottom members, the end may be passed beneath the spring 23 after which the reel is rotated in a counter clockwise direction maintaining the film in the same condition,

" the result being that after the film is wound onto the reel it will flatten out and enter the grooves at the opposite sides of the reel, thus spacing each convolution as the reeling progrosses. After the film has been wound upon the reel, the reel is placed upon the tank as shown in Figure 2 and the cover placed thereon. The remainder of the developing operation may be completed in the daylight, the

loading of the reel having taken place in the 1 customary dark room. 1 I

' The developer is now poured into the funnel 14, the same flowing down through thetubular hub and out through the .openings 31 thence around through the opening 29 and upwardly through the openings 32 (see the arrows at the bottom of Figure 2). Any air 'which is trapped in the tank will escape as shown by the arrows at the-top of Figure 2. This will permit the tank to fill and thus cover the reel and film while thereon. When the developing operation has been completed, the tank is turned'on edge so thatthe developer will run out of the overflow tube 11 The fixer is now oured into the funnel and to see if the fixing operation has been completed. As soon as the fixing has been cd mbe magnified.

the requisite time after- 'which the'film may be inspected if des red,

leted the entire device is placed under a long as necessary with the result that an even flow of water will pass over all'of the surface of the film thereby eflectively washing the same.- 1

By now removing the reel from the tank the end of the film may be grasped and pulled therefrom allowing the reel to rotate in a clockwise direction, after which the filmis hung up to dry.

It will thus be seen that by employing my tank, the film may be developed, fixed and washed without any possibility of scratching the surface of the film which is of extreme importance when developing small negatives which are to be enlarged, as any scratch will 5 It is to be understood that the'form ofmy invention herewithshown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention orthe scope of the I subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a device of the Ieaharacter described, a tank comprising a cup-s aped portion, a cover adapted to tightly engage the said tank, a

tubular member extending through said cover and terminating closely adjacent the bottom of said tank, a reel adapted to be positioned within said tank, said reel comprising'a tu-- hub portion and means for circulating a liq- Y uid poured through said tubular memberover the surface of the film carried by said grooves.

2. In a developing tank of the character described, a receptacle, a reel positioned within saidreceptacle, said reel having a hollow hub portion and adapted to have a filmwound thereon with the convolutions of the film in spaced relation, said reel having its ends'provided with perforations, and an annular peripheral flange on the end of said reel and contacting with the bottom of said receptacle whereby liquid entering the hub of said reel will be directed upwardly through said perforations. Y I

3. In a device of the character described, a developing reel comprising a tubular hub portion, a top portion anda'bottom portion tom members the distance between the adiecent faces of said to and bottom members ing less than the wldth of the film to be develo d therebetween, a receptacle adapted to hol said reel, said receptaclecomprising a cup-like tank havin a cover position thereon, filling and over ow means whereby said tank may be filled and emptied, li ht excludv ing means for preventing} the a 'ssion of light to said receptacle t rough said filling and overflow means, said light excluding means comprising circuitouspassages through the fillin and overflow means respectively.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si ature. CLAYTON L. D EW. 

